Perhaps (Book 1) | ✔

ACT II - Scene 3

Accent Academy — the Auditorium

This week was the last week of rehearsing individual scenes and Acts. Starting next week, the orchestra was going to join our rehearsals and we were going to start full run-throughs of the entire musical.

Of course, we were supposed to have already been doing full run-throughs; but my ankle injury had required us to push things back a week. However, that injury was a thing of the past, and full run-throughs were about to begin! Professor Baron had stressed that we would only be pausing to touch up scenes. All lines were supposed to now be memorized, and anyone who was still referencing a script needed to get to work remembering their lines without it. I had long since memorized my lines, but Riley seemed a little bit worried.

"I just don't want to miss any, you know?" he said to me as we waited for the rehearsal to start. He popped one of my grapes into his mouth (Mom had packed seeded ones in my fruit cup, and I hated seeded grapes; so I had given them to him). "I have everything memorized, but I worry about just blanking on them."

"You'll do fine!" I tried to encourage him as I ate my granola. I could understand his concerns, but Riley had not messed up or forgotten any of his lines at all. He was incredibly consistent in his performance. "You're worrying way too much about it. You've done amazingly, and you haven't missed a line yet." The compliment earned a bashful smile from him. "If you're really that nervous, though, we can go over some parts you're worried you'll miss before rehearsal starts each day. I don't mind being a stand-in for any part so that you can practice."

"Really?" His eyes lit up as he stared back at me. "I'd love it if you could do that for me!" I smiled.

"I don't mind at all."

"Great!" He seemed genuinely happy that I was so willing to help him. It was honestly a relief, because he had been a bit melancholy the last few days.

"I haven't forgotten how much you helped me while my ankle was out of commission," I smiled. "It's time for me to return the favor for you driving me around and carrying all my stuff." He smiled back at me.

"Thanks a lot, Gloria! Really!" I watched as his face suddenly turned serious. "But, um, can I ask you something?" I cocked my head to the side: his tone sounded really strange.

"Sure. What's up?"

He made to speak, but Professor Baron stepped onto the stage and called for rehearsal to start, and he shut his mouth. "Later," he said dismissively, turning his attention to the producers. I could do nothing but follow his gaze.

The department head spoke to us about how rehearsals were going to go from this day forward, but I didn't have eyes for him. As they did every day, my eyes had drifted towards Professor Lee. He was in a red button-down shirt and black tie today, looking perfect, like usual. I suppressed a longing sigh and looked away from him.

"Before we start with a full run-through, however, I would like for us to revisit the final scenes with this recording the orchestra has done," Professor Baron said, pulling out a USB drive and handing it to one of the students in charge of lights and sound. "While I was very pleased with how it went last Friday, I think we can do better. This is our climax! We need to make it feel like one! I'm hoping that having some music to the scene will help.

"Now! Let's get started!" He clapped his hands and all of us stood up. "We're going to pick up from 'I Will Do Anything / I Won't Stop', and go all the way to the end." He turned his attention to Riley, Sean, Sam, Luke, and I; and we nodded and stood, retreating to our spots.